Monthly Archives: January 2011

With the Super Bowl coming up next weekend it gave me a good excuse to try out these pinwheels that have been sitting in my recipe file for years. I don’t know why I haven’t tried them before. You can make them ahead of time and then when guests come pull them out of the refrigerator and bake. Serve them right out of the oven for a fantastic addition to any get together. As a bonus they are easy and delicious.

Ten years ago I didn’t know what kale was. And for sure had never eaten it. Having fresh vegetables delivered weekly has opened up a whole new chapter in my food life. If you can you should subscribe to a CSA in your area for more reasons than just eating fresh vegetables that are good for you. I have been on the receiving end of these great deliveries for four years and I can tell you that I have prepared foods that would have never entered my kitchen. It has been a wonderful experience. I love the fact that I am supporting the local farmers in our area, but I am amazed at how much I have learned about produce and how to prepare it. I am proud to be a part of farm to table. Please participate if you can. You will be rewarded in more ways than you ever imagined. Now to the recipe. Continue reading →

I really do not know why I made this cake. After being stuck in the house for four days I guess it was just a case of cabin fever. Trust me on this one if you are watching your weight as I am make sure that you have more than two people to eat this cake. Oh My Gosh! It is so good! It’s not one of those elegant dessert cakes that you might serve to get the oohs and aahs as you put it on the table, but I can bet you money that everyone that has just a taste of this cake is going to thank you.

Last Saturday I spent an amazing two hours at Pacci Restorante with Chef Kiera Moritz and her staff. I love this sort of thing. Think of it as a field trip for your mind, soul and your taste buds! Pacci is located in Midtown. It is a gorgeous restaurant. Elegant, upscale, classy just choose any of these adjectives to describe it. I was so impressed when I met Chef Kiera. She is very personable, easy to talk to, witty, cute and she really knows her stuff! And she is a Georgia girl. She is a natural in front of an audience explaining each step of the recipe and adding all the do’s and don’ts to make the outcome a success. It was a fun afternoon to say the least. Here’s the three courses she prepared for us with an added dessert and drinks. It was fantastic!

I love these sausage balls! Even though this recipe has been around for a long time, my students have requested me to make this recipe and post it. So here it is. This is day four of no school because of the snow and ice. What better excuse do you have to get in the kitchen? I think that these were originally intended to be served as a party food, but here we serve them for breakfast. Let them cool and place them in a freezer bag. They freeze well for a month, but if your family is like mine they will not last near that long.

When it comes to cooking, simple is better. I love Ina Garten’s Back to Basics cookbook that the Athlete gave me for Christmas. The photos are just gorgeous and I want to make everything in it! For the last 5 or 6 weeks I have received bags of apples in my CSA box. It has been many more apples than I can eat for snacks or in salads so when I saw this recipe I had to try it. I’m so glad that I did. I have made these twice and they are well worth the calories!

A steamy bowl of chili is always a treat for me on a cold wintry day. We have had our share of downright frigid days for the past couple of weeks. Now I’m not complaining because we had a beautiful white Christmas that left roads clear and enough snow to build a snowman. In fact we got to enjoy the white stuff for about four days! I’m just not the type person that likes outdoorsy activities in the cold. It is so hard to stay warm. This beef and bean chili is perfect for cold days. So get in the kitchen and warm up with this great chili from The Best of Fine Cooking Magazine .

For the past two weeks I have not posted as often as I wanted to, but for a good reason. The Athlete has been home for the last ten days and I just wanted to spend as much time with him as I possibly could. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and will be sharing some really good recipes with you in the coming weeks. For you to enjoy I have composed the top ten posts that were viewed this year. I was so surprised at the #1 post! By the way the top photo is my favorite dessert of 2010. Happy New Year to all of you!